Red-Backed Shrike

[Londonbirder]

I saw a RBS (first winter) in Hampstead Heath near Parliament Hill. These are not a common winter visitor; how rare is it to see one. Please tell me your thoughts.

[birdboybowley]

Personally never heard of a winter one

[will bowell]

Did you get the shots? Else I would struggle to believe it. They would be rare at Hampstead Heath in passage, let alone anywhere in Britain in winter.

Will

[Nick Tanner]

you will need to submit a complete discription to the Middlesex recorder, Mark Pearson at: middxrecorder@googlemail.com to stand any chance of this record being accepted, include how you identified and aged the bird, previous experience with the species, optics used etc, good luck

Nick

[Londonbirder]

Thanks Nick!

[London Birder]

any photographs?

[Londonbirder]

No, sorry. I didn't have my camera with me.

[SiG]

Are you two related?

[London Birder]

in a word, no

[SiG]

I thought not.

[shrikebirder]

It's highly unlikely to see a RBS ( not Royal Bank of Scotland! ) on Hampstead Heath. Only two or three have ever been sighted- none of them have been in winter. I suppose there's always a first time!

[deborah4]

It's highly unlikely to see a RBS ( not Royal Bank of Scotland! ) on Hampstead Heath. Only two or three have ever been sighted- none of them have been in winter. I suppose there's always a first time!

Hi shrikebirder

I assume HH is one of your local patches (I used to visit HH a lot as my gran lived down the road and family still have the house up there)

You may be fascinated with this little piece of history (found it a few years back when delving into the ornithological history of HH). Scroll right down lots of pages until you reach The BIRDS OF HAMPSTEAD by J.E Harting and it gives some interesting bird sightings from way back - I've tried to keep my eye out for it in the old second hand bookshops in Hampstead when I'm up there but with no luck!

http://www.archive.org/stream/hampsteadhillits00lobl/hampsteadhillits00lobl_djvu.txt

[Patrick_L]

Only two or three have ever been sighted- none of them have been in winter. I suppose there's always a first time!

Good link Deborah (although he needs a better publisher), I was pretty sure that the likes of Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck etc would have been regular breeders on Hampstead Heath in the past (probably up to the middle of the last century?).

The record of "Black-headed" Bunting could lead to confusion! The Black Redstart records are notable, as are the Richard's Pipits.

[phil baber]

It's highly unlikely to see a RBS ( not Royal Bank of Scotland! ) on Hampstead Heath. Only two or three have ever been sighted- none of them have been in winter. I suppose there's always a first time!

Was the RBS perched on a branch of the RBS? ;)

[DavidinParis]

Was the RBS perched on a branch of the RBS? ;)

I suspect that if anything is perched on a branch of the RBS it's likely to be a Lammergeier.:eek!:

[phil baber]

I suspect that if anything is perched on a branch of the RBS it's likely to be a Lammergeier.:eek!:

Hmmmn?
I'd go for Scottish Crossbill myself! :t:

[Apodemus]

Or a dead duck

[Graham S]

or a turkey